Artificial Intelligence (image by cordonpress)
Science fiction has warned us about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence, but it is becoming more and more a part of our lives.
British computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton has spent his entire life working on artificial neural networks, which is why he is often recognized as one of the ‘fathers’ of Artificial Intelligence. So it’s interesting to get his take on whether this technology could be turned against humans.
In a recent interview with CBS, he revealed:
“Until recently, I thought it would be 20 to 50 years before we had general-purpose AI. And now I think it can take 20 years or less. There may be a time soon when computers can not only diagnose their own problems, but also implement fixes themselves. That’s a problem, right? We have to think hard about how to control that.”
When asked directly if an Artificial Intelligence could wipe out humanity, Geoffrey Hinton responded cautiously, saying:
“It’s not inconceivable, that’s all I’ll say. I think it’s very reasonable for people to worry about these problems now, even though it won’t happen in the next year or two. People should be thinking about those issues.”
Three ways in which machines could kill people.
Runaway Self-Enhancement: One concern is that an AI system could experience runaway self-enhancement, leading to a situation known as an intelligence explosion. If an AI system were to become much more intelligent than its creators, it could pose a threat to human existence. Autonomous Weapons: Another concern is that autonomous AI-powered weapons could be developed that are capable of making decisions without human supervision. Should these weapons fall into the wrong hands or malfunction, they could cause significant harm to humanity. Cyber Attacks: Artificial Intelligence could also be used by malicious actors to carry out cyber attacks on critical infrastructure such as power grids, transportation systems, and financial networks. If these attacks were successful, they could cause widespread damage and potentially harm human life.
Can you think of another way?
Artificial intelligence
The debate is very interesting and curiously no one is raising it.
Do you think Artificial Intelligence will improve human life? Or is it on the contrary a possible threat? Leave us your comments below in the opinion section. But what is clear is that science fiction movies like the Terminator or the Matrix have warned us, so we will see how all this evolves in the coming years.
Terminator
